The Allahabad High Court upheld two men's murder convictions but set aside their sentences. The Juvenile Justice Board will determine the consequences because both were minors during the offence.
Lucknow,Oct 16, 2026 11:36 IST
The Allahabad High Court has set aside the sentences of two men convicted in a decades-old murder case after finding that they were minors at the time of the crime, news agency Press Trust of India reported.
The court's Lucknow bench, however, upheld their conviction and referred the matter to the Juvenile Justice Board to decide the appropriate punishment.
A division bench of Justices Abdul Moin and Pramod Kumar Srivastava passed the order on Thursday while hearing an appeal linked to an incident in Sultanpur on September 28, 1980.
According to the prosecution, eight men attacked several people with sharp-edged weapons and spears. Four people — Shamshad, Abdul Rafiq, Dilsher and Hamidullah — were killed, while several others were injured. A sessions court convicted all eight accused and sentenced them to life imprisonment on December 14, 1981.
During the hearing of their appeal in the High Court, Siraj Ahmad and Abdul Wahid claimed that they were minors when the incident occurred. Following the court's directions, the Juvenile Justice Board conducted an inquiry to determine their ages, PTI reported.
Based on the board's report and educational records, the court found that Ahmad was 17 years and 10 months old, while Wahid was 17 years and 11 months old at the time of the crime.
While upholding their conviction, the bench said the accounts of injured eyewitnesses and other witnesses were consistent with the medical evidence. It held that the prosecution had established the charges and that there were no grounds to interfere with the finding of guilt.
However, the bench ruled that the sentences imposed under criminal law could not be sustained because the two were minors at the time of the offence. It said they could not be let off without any consequence, but the appropriate order had to be passed under juvenile justice law.
The court directed Ahmad and Wahid to appear before the Juvenile Justice Board on October 28 with a certified copy of the judgment. The board was asked to pass an appropriate order within six weeks of receiving the copy.
The High Court has thus maintained the conviction of the two men but cancelled their sentences, leaving the Juvenile Justice Board to decide the consequences under the law applicable to minors.
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